Community Cinema: Bridging the Gap

A mother and her four-year-old son navigate the emotional terrain of migration through a shared camera, capturing fleeting moments, quiet fears, and enduring love in an attempt to preserve their shared heritage before it fades

Director: Maryam Haddadi
Producer: Ilinca Calugareanu
Film running time: 18m
Genre: Documentary, Short
Language: Persian (Farsi), English
Subtitles: English SDH
Content Warning: Racism

Filmmaker Klarissa Webster offers intimate insight into the lives of deaf people, who were all raised with spoken English. Experience a taste of their lives navigating social norms and clashing cultures in a society built for a “fully abled” person.

Director: Klarissa Webster
Producer: Reece Cargan
Film running time: 17m
Genre: Documentary, Short
Language: BSL, English
Subtitles: English SDH
Content Warning: Ableism

Growing up with an unconventional single mother – an influencer navigating aging and body dysmorphia – Meg admires her but questions how it shaped her own self-image. Through laughter and vulnerability, they unpack identity, influence, and the complexities of their evolving relationship.

Director: Meg Wriggles
Producer: Lea Luiz de Oliveira
Film running time: 14m
Genre: Documentary, Short
Language: English
Subtitles: English SDH
Content Warning: Domestic violence, partial nudity, Eating disorders

A portrait of an island community through time, where the sea has always defined life. Water to the Wall depicts Orkney's tidal rhythms alongside current footage of the Ba' - an ancient game of street football - to explore the parallels between Orkney's traditions and it's tides. Water To The Wall explores how islanders live alongside the ebb and flow, a rhythmic portrait of a place and its people.

Director: Becky Manson
Producer: Marissa Keating
Film running time: 13m
Genre: Documentary, Short
Language: Scots, English
Subtitles: English SDH

A queer protestor pursues meaning in standoff with Belfast’s preachers. Brian challenges the religious homophobia of Belfast’s street preachers while questioning his own faith and activism to reconcile his queer identity with his religious beliefs. This documentary explores his fight for acceptance, love, and equality in a country grappling with tradition and change.

Director: Eva Babington
Film running time: 16m
Genre: Documentary, Short
Language: English
Subtitles: English SDH
Content Warning: Homophobia

A local community theatre brings to life stories from three generations of a quiet working-class town in Scotland. Through the voices of its people, the play celebrates shared heritage, resilience and the enduring spirit of place.

Director: Lewis Baillie
Producer: Rohan Crickmar
Film running time: 13m
Genre: Documentary, Short
Language: Scots, English
Subtitles: English SDH